3. St Katharine Docks Information & History
An intensely built-up 23 acre site was earmarked for redevelopment by an Act of Parliament in 1825, with construction commencing in May 1827. Some 1250 houses were demolished, together with the medieval hospital of St. Katharine. 11,300 inhabitants lost their home. Only property owners received compensation. The docks were officially opened on 25 October 1828. Although well used, they were unable to accommodate large ships. They were amalgamated in 1864 with the neighbouring London Docks. In 1909, the PLA took over the management. The docks were badly damaged by German bombing during the Second World War and never fully recovered thereafter. They were among the first to be closed, in 1968, and were sold to the Greater London Council. Most of the original warehouses were demolished and mostly replaced by modern commercial buildings in the early 1970s, with the docks themselves becoming a sucessful marina. More at wikipedia |Also read skdocks.co.uk >View Photos of here and nearby locations|Buy Prints